Firefighters Given Hero's Welcome Upon Returning From Haiti

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Recognition Ceremony for Members of California Task Force 2

California Task Force 2 (CA-TF2) was one of six FEMA teams from the United States to be deployed to Haiti for search and rescue efforts.  The first responders from Los Angeles County Fire Department recently returned to a hero's welcome with family, friends, fire department brothers and sisters, and dignitaries, such as Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles County Fire Department Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman, in attendance.

The firefighters were met with cheers and a standing ovation as they arrived at the ceremony.  Governor Schwarzenegger spoke on behalf of Californians and all Americans as he said, "This is something that I love doing.  Celebrating, and celebrating a great victory, and celebrating heroes."  Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman echoed this saying, "You made us proud, and for that we recognize you today in a very special way."

Firefighters Share Their Experiences From Haiti Deployment

CA-TF2, or USA-2 as they were referred to while on this mission, made nine live rescues while in Haiti.  The assignment proved to be very emotional, as Captain Miguel Garcia explains, "It was difficult, but you had to distract yourself and remember what our mission was while in country.  And our mission was to save as many lives as we could, so we focused on that and we took some positives out of that."

Captain Billy Monahan, a USA-2 Canine Handler, says of his team's experience, "It was very difficult.  We all went, the whole team, went through some emotional ups and downs.  Obviously the live rescues were the emotional ups, and the downs were the deceased ones, the ones that we lost contact with."  Los Angeles County Fire Department Battalion Chief Terry De Journett, the USA-2 Team Leader, said, choking back tears, that for the first time in his career, after making a search of one of the collapsed buildings in Haiti, he had to report that no one had survived.

Expressing Thanks

The Haitian people were very grateful for the assistance that these firefighters rendered to their country.  Sam Jean, an attorney and Board Member of the Yele Haiti Foundation, spoke on behalf of the Haitian people during the ceremony, saying, "The things you guys did while you were there were amazing.  Simply put, amazing.  Not only did you save lives but you saved lives in a way that people retained their dignity and their humanity."

Speaking for first responders across the nation, David Gillotte, President of IAFF Local 1014, thanked his brothers, saying, "You represented all firefighters on this department, in this state, and in this nation."

Recognition of Sacrifices Made By Firefighters' Families

Also recognized at this gathering were the families of these brave first responders, who made many personal sacrifices while their husbands, fathers, and brothers were in Haiti.  Christine Gejada, wife of Engineer and CA-TF2 Member Mark Gejada, says of her experience, "I was very worried.  I was like in survival mode myself at home.  I was worried, but I was very proud, and I knew they were going to be alright."

Additional Information

At the time of the filming of this story, the Haitian government reported that over 230,000 citizens were dead and over three million people still required assistance.  For an in depth interview with Battalion Chief Terry De Journett, who shares his team's experiences, photographs, and video of their time in Haiti, click here.